The New Power Party (NPP) on Friday rebutted claims it would be involved in upcoming elections in Hong Kong, as it defended Taiwan’s democracy against criticism from the Hong Kong government.
The party made the remarks after a media report said that members of the NPP would fly to Hong Kong and take the stage at a campaign event to support a specific candidate in the territory’s Sept. 4 Legislative Council elections.
“There is no truth in such claims — none of the five NPP legislators have such plans,” the NPP said in a statement. “The party cares deeply about the development of democracy in Hong Kong. We support an election that is truly representative of Hong Kongers. We are happy to see Hong Kongers participating in this election. With regard to the support of individual government parties, we have never said a word.”
A Hong Kong government spokesperson on Friday said the administration is not in favor of Taiwanese independence supporters visiting Hong Kong, or publicly backing any Hong Kong government organizations.
In response, NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said: “A government that shows itself to be the lackeys of the Chinese Communist Party in everything it does cannot stand together with Hong Kongers. Although I had no plans to travel to Hong Kong, seeing a statement such as this fills me with sadness.”
While responding to inquiries by Hong Kong online media outlet Standnews, NPP Secretary-General Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏) said the Hong Kong authority must heed calls by its people to strive wholeheartedly for democratic freedom, calling such a right Hong Kong’s most valuable asset.
“When all is said and done, does the Hong Kong government want to build a wall to keep people out, or does it want to continue to foster relationships with various democratic societies, maintaining the advantageous position it has long had? This is what the Hong Kong government needs to think about,” she said.
Chen reiterated the NPP’s stance, saying “its position is that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation, whose interactions with China are characterized by unfair state-to-state relations. This party seeks the ‘normalization’ of Taiwan as a nation. Whether Taiwan is independent is for the people of Taiwan to decide. It is not the decision of Beijing or the Hong Kong government.”
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS